Beneficial Uses of CO 2 Technologies and Implications for a Carbon Market Andrew McIlroy, PhD

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1 Beneficial Uses of CO 2 Technologies and Implications for a Carbon Market Andrew McIlroy, PhD Senior Manager for Chemical Sciences Combustion Research Facility Sandia National Laboratories Livermore, CA with Mark Allendorf & Ellen Stechel Sandia National Laboratories

2 Introduction Average preindustrial level = 280 ppm (~2200 Gt) Human activity currently adds 2 ppm/yr (15 Gt /yr) Current total atmospheric CO 2 = 380 ppm ( ~ 2900 Gt) Primary sources: Electricity production Vehicular transport

3 Primary sources of CO 2 Source Fossil fuel combustion [Electricity generation] [Transportation] Iron and steel production Cement manufacture Waste combustion Ammonia manufacture Lime manufacture Limestone/dolomite use Natural gas flaring Aluminum production Soda ash manufacture/consumption US 2000 (Gt) 5.6 [2.2] [1.9] Source: EPA, EIA and SPCC TAR

4 CO 2 : Pollutant, By-product or Waste? Carbon trading, carbon taxes, or other forms of carbon control will put a value on CO 2 as a GHG Other waste streams have been found to have value Aluminum cans, glass containers, newspapers, cardboard, etc. Four strategies linked to the value of CO 2 Reduce Displace other GHG Sequester Convert and reuse

5 Global Warming is More Than Just CO 2 Refrigerants Gas GWP Carbon Dioxide 1 Methane 23 Nitrous Oxide 296 HFC-23 12,000 HFC-125 3,400 HFC-134a (automotive A/C) 1,300 HFC-143a 4,300 HFC-152a 120 HFC-227ea 3,500 HFC-236fa 9,400 Perfluoromethane (CF 4 ) 5,700 Perfluoroethane (C 2 F 6 ) 11,900 Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF 6 ) 22,200 Source: ICPP Third (2001) Assessment Report GWP = Global warming potential. GWP(CO 2 ) = 1

6 Displacement: CO 2 Replaces Higher- Impact Greenhouse Gases An Example: CO 2 as a replacement for HFC- 134a refrigerant commonly used in vehicles HFC-134a GWP = 1300 Average leakage = 40 g/year/vehicle 243 million vehicles in US (2004), ~ 90% have A/C ~ Gt/yr CO 2 equivalent emitted CO 2 can be a solution, not a problem

7 Reuse: Delay the Release of CO 2 to the Atmosphere Present Primary Industrial Uses of CO 2 Fertilizer (urea) Market (Gt/yr) Lifetime Six months Methanol Inorganic carbonates Organic carbonates Polyurethanes Technological Food Six months Decades to centuries Decades to centuries Decades to centuries Days to years Months to years A large proportion of all CO 2 recovered is used at the point of production to make further chemicals of commercial importance, chiefly urea and methanol IPCC report 2005

8 Convert and Reuse: Only Fuel Scales to CO 2 Problem Problem CO 2 came from fuels In principle, it can be recycled BUT, where does the energy come from to convert CO 2 back to fuel? Solar (biofuels or something better) Nuclear

9 How to capture the CO 2? Two major possibilities Capture it at the source Most practical for stationary sources Easiest with pure oxygen combustion Demonstrations now underway Remove it from the atmosphere Challenging, but not impossible Wind naturally moves vast quantities of air Feasible to build scrubbers that to pull CO 2 directly from air Potential to disconnect capture from source Not yet demonstrated at scale or in field Denmark CO 2 Capture Demo GRT LLC Synthetic Trees Concept

10 Solar Driven CO 2 to Fuel Biofuels Without the Biology hν Solar Heating CO 2 H 2 O Energy Input (Reduction) CO 2 H 2 O Fuel O 2 Transportation Fuels (Gasoline, Diesel, Jet Fuel) Natural Gas (CH 4 ) Chemical Precursors Energy Recovery (combustion) O 2

11 CO 2 Splitting Shown Feasible Water cooled panel Window retaining clips Quartz window Gas inlet port Ceramic insulation ring Reactive material assembly 1.0 %CO %CO Two types of catalysts have demonstrated the ability to split both H 2 O and CO 2 : 2H 2 O 2H 2 + O 2 2CO 2 2CO + O 2 H 2 and CO combine to produce Syngas Syngas can be converted to any hydrocarbon fuel "Temperature" Midplane Temperature, C Ti d 950

12 Technically Possible: Moving CO 2 From Waste to Resource Technology development needed CO 2 capture development CO 2 to fuel efficiency improvements Regulation needed True cost of CO 2 occurs on a timescale incompatible with market forces Regulation is needed to connect these costs on a more immediate timescale

13 Market Questions How does capture, convert and reuse change the carbon market? How long a delay must be realized to earn a carbon credit? Can today s market mechanisms spur investment in the recycle of CO 2?